Parasites of wild houbara bustards in the United Arab Emirates

Seven free-living houbara bustards (Chlamydotis undulata macqueeni) wild-caught in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were examined for helminth parasites. Of five birds investigated post mortem, one was free of gastrointestinal helminths. Two other birds expelled worms following clinical examination and anthelmintic treatment. This is the first report of the parasites of free-living, as opposed to captive, houbara bastards in the UAE. In infested wild birds, fewer species of helminths were recovered than had been found in captive birds and those species present had also been found in captive houbaras. Despite heavy worm burdens, the infested birds were in good condition. Two species of cestodes (Otiditaenia conoideis, Hispaniolepis falsata), two of acanthocephalans (Centrorhynchus lancea, Mediorhynchus taeniatus) and two of nematodes (Hartertia rotundata, Allodapa sp.) were recovered. Histopathological examination of tissue samples from the intestine of three birds revealed no significant pathological changes attributable to the presence of parasites but only localized responses at the sites of parasite attachment.